Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-01-01

lishment or nasal or nsso-pharyngeal
catarrh. This is more particularly true
of persons residing on damp lands, or in
localities exposed to the raw westerly
sea breez.. Newcomers require to be
constantly reminded that this Il a cool
rather than a warm country. and that IL
| is very essential that the residents Of this
region wear w0oilen garments next to
! the skin all the year, and thus provide
against the exigencies eff the eoldet
period OF the twenty four hours. The
weight of the woolien may be varied as
between the wet aud dry season. but 1t
| If really safer to make the change In the
weight OF the outer garmen.s.
Group and laryngismus are OF infre.
quent occurrence.
Bronchitis Is reported frequent only
at the seaport of San Pedro.
Pneumonia, the scourge OF the nation,
east Of the mountains. from the icy re-
gions of the north to the semi-tcrr1d
regions of the extreme south, is almost a
stranger here. An occasional case OF
lobular pneumonia Is reported, bat the
lobar variety Is rare.
Asthma, whether of the bronchial or
cardiac variety, seldom originates in this
| section. Many cases come here for re-
| lief, and demonstrate the obstinate and
as yet incomprehensible eeeentrieities of
the affection. All of them recover, ii
willing to submit to the tyranny OF the
climate-hungry neuros;s. Relief is not to
be found in any one locality for all cases.
Probably Nordhof and Cotton afford the
environments demanded in the majority
of instances.
Hay fever, the asthma of many aliases,
has never been known to originate here
The nearest approach to it is In two
cases of coniunctivitis from rose pollen,
reported in persons who In the east were
victims of rose cold. As rule, persOns
who have suffered from this miserable
affection, enjoy complete immunity from
invasion in Southern California
The mortuary records, whenever sc-
cessible, show . greater percentage Of
deaths from pulmonary phthisis than
from any other. But the vast majority
of these deaths oczur among persoE 5
| who have come here already infected. in
hope OF restoration Very few Of them
have resided here so long ss one year.
THbercuious diseases are rare, among
the native white population but common
among tire Spanish portion of residents,
and this is ascribed to close interInar-
riage through long series of years and
to change OF habits since the con-
ing Of the Angio-Americans; the
natives living mors in their adobe
houses and not so much out Of doors Is
formerly. They are poorer-perhaps
not we'll nourished; end In many wsys
are not hygienically SO favorabIy situat-
ed as in times past Thirty or forty
years ago, tubercular disease was rare
among them; now each year it becomss
more common.
With the general absence of the ae-
cepted climatic factors conducive to the
development of phthisis, the physical
conditions above enumerated must be
| recognized as the remote cause a the
race deterioration in this specifie direc-
ton. Il is not probable that any arrest
may be expected. The rapid increase
of the white races has steadily placed
the Spanish at dizaivantage- With
| the inevitable attendant evils OF an i'm
poverished condition, the near futsre
will probably witness the extinction OF
these earlier occupants and phtisis viii
have not! little to do with tine finale
Indoor residence, light houses whether
of adobe (mud) or wood, abandonment
of walking and horseback exercise,
must eventually do for the rich Ameri-
can what similar conduct Is efscting for
the poor Spaniard.
the existence Of the various cardiac
affections is almost unknown except In
the case of strangers Ii Is the case
with hepatic affections though
diseases Of the liver are to be met with,
due most frequently to the abuse of
food and dram drinking.
Nephritis idiopathic, another ter
ror Of the United States. north and east
Of the mountains. il not established here
as one of the prevailing diseases. and
wherever heard Of Is traced to insem-
peraEce.
The ordinary contagious affections are
almost as infrequent IS the non eontsgl-
ous. And the general nildnssz Of
the attacks, and the sbsenee OF serious
sequels may here be Elentioned-
Under she caption "miseellsneoGs.
tsenia alone Is even occasional. Its pEes-
ence is by no means infrequent; but 1t Is
far from being As commoa as the ehsria-
tans would have their patients believe
Indeed it has been reported that not =
few specimens, said to have been re-
moved from willing victims. proved to
be celiuloi1.
From the foregoing, it nsy be inferred,
that whatever may be the CONNER
cial Importance of Southern California,
or its future as the center OF the great
industries which are even now develop
ing in our midst, its excellence a. =
health resort c1nnot be exaggerated
Within a circle of l50 miles. one may
fiud spots below the sea-level. or with
an elevation 10, 900 feet above il; spots
that have nightly heavy fog, and spots
that never know fog; places swept BY
an almost constant breeze, and others
sheltered from all wind; the odors and
gases from asohal;um and petroleum
springs, or the air Of the mountain
pineries; the scent of the orange blossom,
or the baIssmic odor OF the plants of the
desert. Differences of elevation which
elsewhere one travels q 1000 miles to
Ind, here are found In a radius Of fifty
miles
No epidemics have ever visited this
part of the State, and contagious diseases
which have been brought here have
never obtained foothold. 1t il, more
over, a region of easy access by rail OF
steamer. Food of every variety Is
abundant, and all the delicaeies aud
comforts required by individuals are
readily found
THE MORTALITY IN los ANGELES
From the report Of DIR. Baker. Health
Officer of the city during the year 1855
1856 much that the paper Of DR.. Orue
contains, VIII be found borne out by
the latest statistics. The Health OIeer
says: "The enclosed tabulatei state
ment gives the number of deaths and the
different causes. Mortality from con-
sumption was exceptionally large, due
exclusively to the vast number of con-
sumptives who come here. expecting to re-
| zfr.-.1 vi rk.f 49,